Phase 3 Trial of Concizumab in Hemophilia with Inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Concizumab is an anti-tissue factor pathway inhibitor monoclonal antibody designed to achieve hemostasis in all hemophilia types, with subcutaneous administration. A previous trial of concizumab (explorer4) established proof of concept in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors. METHODS: We conducted the explorer7 trial to assess the safety and efficacy of concizumab in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:2 ratio to receive no prophylaxis for at least 24 weeks (group 1) or concizumab prophylaxis for at least 32 weeks (group 2) or were nonrandomly assigned to receive concizumab prophylaxis for at least 24 weeks (groups 3 and 4). After a treatment pause due to nonfatal thromboembolic events in three patients receiving concizumab, including one from the explorer7 trial, concizumab therapy was restarted with a loading dose of 1.0 mg per kilogram of body weight, followed by 0.2 mg per kilogram daily (potentially adjusted on the basis of concizumab plasma concentration as measured at week 4). The primary end-point analysis compared treated spontaneous and traumatic bleeding episodes in group 1 and group 2. Safety, patient-reported outcomes, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were also assessed. RESULTS: Of 133 enrolled patients, 19 were randomly assigned to group 1 and 33 to group 2; the remaining 81 were assigned to groups 3 and 4. The estimated mean annualized bleeding rate in group 1 was 11.8 episodes (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.0 to 19.9), as compared with 1.7 episodes (95% CI, 1.0 to 2.9) in group 2 (rate ratio, 0.14 [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.29]; P<0.001). The overall median annualized bleeding rate for patients receiving concizumab (groups 2, 3, and 4) was 0 episodes. No thromboembolic events were reported after concizumab therapy was restarted. The plasma concentrations of concizumab remained stable over time. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, the annualized bleeding rate was lower with concizumab prophylaxis than with no prophylaxis. (Funded by Novo Nordisk; explorer7 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04083781.).

Relapse and transformation to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia following immunosuppressive therapy for aplastic anemia is more common as compared to allogeneic stem cell transplantation with a negative impact on survival.

We studied the incidence of relapse, transformation to myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia, and survival in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) surviving more than 1 year after ATG/ALG-based immunosuppressive therapy (IST) between 1985 and 2020. Four-hundred seventy patients (413 adults and 57 children) were studied, and data were compared with 223 patients who underwent matched sibling donor transplant (MSD HSCT). Median follow-up is 50 months (12-359). Relapse occurred in 21.9% at a median time of 33.5 months (5-228) post IST. Twenty-six (5.5%) patients progressed to PNH, while 20 (4.3%) evolved to MDS/AML. Ten-year estimated overall survival (OS) is 80.9 ± 3% and was significantly better in patients without an event (85.1 ± 4%) compared to relapse (74.6% ± 6.2%) or clonal evolution (12.8% ± 11.8%) (p = 0.024). While the severity of AA (p = 0.011) and type of ATG (p = 0.028) used predicted relapse, only age at IST administration influenced clonal evolution (p = 0.018). Among HSCT recipients, relapse rates were 4.9% with no clonal evolution, and the 10-year OS was 94.5 ± 2%. In patients who survived 1 year following IST, outcomes were good except with clonal evolution to MDS/AML. These outcomes, however, were still inferior compared to matched sibling donor HSCT.

Treatment challenges and outcomes of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia from India.

Globally, overall survival (OS) of older patients with AML continues to be suboptimal with very little data from India. In a multicenter registry analysis, we evaluated 712 patients with AML older than 55 years. Only 323 (45.3%) underwent further treatment, of which 239 (74%) received HMAs, and 60 (18%) received intensive chemotherapy (IC). CR was documented in 39% of those receiving IC and 42% after HMAs. Overall, 100 (31%) patients died within 60 days of diagnosis, most commonly due to progressive disease (47%) or infections (30%). After a median follow-up of 176 days, 228 (76%) of patients had discontinued treatment. At one year from diagnosis, 211 (65%) patients had died, and the median OS was 186 days (IQR, 137-234). Only 12 (3.7%) patients underwent stem cell transplantation. Survival was significantly lower for those older than 60 years (p < 0.001). Patients who died had a higher median age (p = .027) and baseline WBC counts (p = .006). Our data highlights suboptimal outcomes in older AML patients, which are evident from 55 years of age onwards, making it necessary to evaluate HMA and targeted agent combinations along with novel consolidation strategies to improve survival in this high-risk population.

Non-surgical correction of knee flexion deformity in persons with haemophilia: A staged multidisciplinary approach.

INTRODUCTION: Flexion deformity of the knee is a common complication following recurrent haemarthrosis in persons with haemophilia (PWH) on episodic factor replacement therapy, restricting independent mobility. There is limited literature on the comprehensive management of this condition. This report provides the outcome of a staged multidisciplinary approach for the correction of knee flexion deformity (KFD) even in limited resource settings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data of 49 consecutive PWH who were treated for KFD were analysed. The approach included graded physical therapy (PT), followed by serial casting and/or mobilisation under anaesthesia (MUA). MUA was done in carefully selected knees. Surgical correction was opted when non-surgical methods failed. RESULTS: Of the 49 patients (55 knees), with a median KFD of 40 degrees (range: 10-90), 26/55 (47%) were corrected by graded PT. With serial casting, 9/19 (47%) knees had their KFD corrected. MUA was done for 11 knees of which five achieved correction (45%). Surgical correction was required for only seven knees (12.7%). Following this approach, KFD improved from 40 degrees (range: 10-90) to 15 degrees (range: 0-40), with only minor loss of flexion from 105 (range: 60-155) to 90 degrees (range: 30-150). Out of 55 KFD, 46 (83.6%) KFD were corrected; non-surgical, 39 (70.9%) and surgery, seven (12.7%). The remaining patients (nine KFD; 16.4%) were able to achieve their functional goal despite not meeting the correction criteria. CONCLUSION: This study shows that in PWH, functionally significant KFD correction can be achieved in about 71%, through non-surgical methods, even without prophylactic factor replacement.

Comparison of telomere length in patients with bone marrow failure syndromes and healthy controls.

INTRODUCTION: During normal aging, telomeric DNA is gradually lost in dividing somatic cells, and critically short telomeres lead to replicative senescence, apoptosis, or chromosomal instability. We studied telomere length in bone marrow failure syndromes (BMFS) compared to normal healthy population. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from the participants, and genomic DNA was extracted. Relative telomere length was measured using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and GraphPad Prism 8.2 software. RESULTS: The median age of normal Indian population was 31 (0-60) years. As expected, telomere length (TL) showed a decline with age and no difference in TL between males and females. The median age of 650 patients with aplastic anemia (AA) was 30 (1-60) years. TL was significantly shorter in patients with AA compared to healthy controls (p < .001). In FA and MDS patients, TL was significantly shorter than age-matched healthy controls (p = .028; p < .001), respectively. There was no difference between the median TL in age-matched AA and FA patients (p = .727). However, patients with MDS had shorter TL than age-matched AA (p = .031). CONCLUSION: TL in BMF syndrome patients was significantly shorter than age-matched healthy controls.

Comprehensive laboratory diagnosis of Fanconi anaemia: comparison of cellular and molecular analysis.

BACKGROUND: Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare inherited bone marrow failure disease caused by germline pathogenic variants in any of the 22 genes involved in the FA-DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair pathway. Accurate laboratory investigations are required for FA diagnosis for the clinical management of the patients. We performed chromosome breakage analysis (CBA), FANCD2 ubiquitination (FANCD2-Ub) analysis and exome sequencing of 142 Indian patients with FA and evaluated the efficiencies of these methods in FA diagnosis. METHODS: We performed CBA and FANCD2-Ub analysis in the blood cells and fibroblasts of patients with FA. Exome sequencing with improved bioinformatics to detect the single number variants and CNV was carried out for all the patients. Functional validation of the variants with unknown significance was done by lentiviral complementation assay. RESULTS: Our study showed that FANCD2-Ub analysis and CBA on peripheral blood cells could diagnose 97% and 91.5% of FA cases, respectively. Exome sequencing identified the FA genotypes consisting of 45 novel variants in 95.7% of the patients with FA. FANCA (60.2%), FANCL (19.8%) and FANCG (11.7%) were the most frequently mutated genes in the Indian population. A FANCL founder mutation c.1092G>A; p.K364=was identified at a very high frequency (~19%) in our patients. CONCLUSION: We performed a comprehensive analysis of the cellular and molecular tests for the accurate diagnosis of FA. A new algorithm for rapid and cost-effective molecular diagnosis for~90% of FA cases has been established.

Long-term immunogenicity, efficacy and tolerability of simoctocog alfa in patients with severe haemophilia A who had completed the NuProtect study in previously untreated patients.

BACKGROUND: The NuProtect study reported data on the immunogenicity, efficacy and tolerability of simoctocog alfa (Nuwiq® ) in 108 previously untreated patients with severe haemophilia A planned to be treated for ≥100 exposure days or up to 5 years. The NuProtect-Extension study collected long-term prophylaxis data in children with severe haemophilia A. METHODS: Patients who completed the NuProtect study according to the protocol were eligible for the NuProtect-Extension study, a prospective, multinational, non-controlled, Phase 3b study. RESULTS: Of 48 patients who entered the extension study, 47 (median age 2.8 years) received prophylaxis with simoctocog alfa for a median of 24 months, with 82%-88% on a twice-weekly or less regimen. No patient developed FVIII inhibitors during the extension study. The median (IQR) annualized bleeding rate (ABR) during prophylaxis was 0 (0-0.5) for spontaneous bleeding episodes (BEs) and 1.00 (0-1.95) for all BEs. ABRs estimated using a negative binomial model were .28 (95% CI: .15, .53) for spontaneous and 1.62 (95% CI: 1.09, 2.42) for all BEs. During the median follow-up of 24 months, 34 (72%) patients had zero spontaneous BEs and 46 (98%) had zero spontaneous joint BEs. Efficacy in treating BEs was excellent or good for 78.2% of rated BEs, and efficacy of surgical prophylaxis was excellent for two rated surgeries. No treatment-related adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: No FVIII inhibitors developed during long-term prophylaxis in the NuProtect-Extension study. Prophylaxis with simoctocog alfa was efficacious and well-tolerated, and is therefore an attractive long-term option for children with severe haemophilia A.

Simoctocog alfa (Nuwiq®) in previously untreated patients with severe haemophilia A-Final efficacy and safety results from the NuProtect study.

INTRODUCTION: Simoctocog alfa (Nuwiq®) is a 4th generation recombinant FVIII with proven efficacy for the prevention and treatment of bleeding episodes (BEs) in previously treated patients with severe haemophilia A. The NuProtect study assessed the immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of simoctocog alfa in 108 previously untreated patients (PUPs). The incidence of high-titre inhibitors was 16.2% and no patients with non-null F8 mutations developed inhibitors. AIM: To report the efficacy and safety results from the NuProtect study. METHODS: PUPs received simoctocog alfa for prophylaxis, treatment of BEs, or as surgical prophylaxis. The efficacy of prophylaxis (during inhibitor-free periods) was assessed using annualised bleeding rates (ABRs). The efficacy in treating BEs and in surgical prophylaxis was assessed using a 4-point scale. Adverse events were recorded throughout the study. RESULTS: Of 108 PUPs treated with simoctocog alfa, 103 received at least one prophylactic dose and 50 received continuous prophylaxis for at least 24 weeks. In patients on continuous prophylaxis, the median ABR was 0 (mean 0.5) for spontaneous BEs and 2.5 (mean 3.6) for all BEs. In 85 patients who had BEs, efficacy of BE treatment was excellent or good for 92.9% (747/804) of rated BEs; 92.3% of BEs were treated with 1 or 2 infusions. The efficacy of surgical prophylaxis was excellent or good for 94.7% (18/19) of rated procedures. There were no safety concerns and no thromboembolic events. CONCLUSION: Simoctocog alfa was efficacious and well tolerated as prophylaxis, surgical prophylaxis and for the treatment of BEs in PUPs with severe haemophilia A.

Total marrow lymphoid irradiation and cyclophosphamide is associated with low toxicity and good outcomes in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia in lymphoid blast crises - A phase I study.

INTRODUCTION: Total marrow lymphoid irradiation (TMLI) can deliver higher doses of irradiation without increasing toxicity compared to Total body irradiation (TBI). METHODS: Twenty adult patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic myeloid leukemia with lymphoid blast crises (CML-LBC) received TMLI and cyclophosphamide for conditioning. Ten patients each received 13.5 or 15 Gy of TMLI. The graft source was peripheral blood stem cells in all, and donors included matched related (n = 15), haplo-identical (n = 3) or matched unrelated donors (n = 2). RESULTS: The median cell dose infused was 9 × 106 CD34/kg (range 4.8-12.4). Engraftment occurred in all (100%) at a median of 15 days (range: 14-17). Toxicity was low with hemorrhagic cystitis seen in two but no sinusoidal obstruction syndrome. Acute GVHD occurred in 40% while chronic GVHD was seen in 70.5%. Viral infections were seen in 55% while blood stream bacterial infections occurred in 20% and invasive fungal disease (IFD) in 10%. The Day 100 non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 10%. At a median follow up of 25 months (range 2-48), two patients have relapsed. Overall survival at 2 years is 80% while the disease-free survival is 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of TMLI and cyclophosphamide for myeloablative conditioning is associated with low toxicity and favorable early outcomes in patients undergoing HSCT for ALL and CML-LBC.

Persistent bacteremia predicts poor outcomes among neutropenic patients with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bloodstream infections receiving appropriate therapy.

PURPOSE: Identifying persistent bacteremia early in patients with neutropenia may improve outcome. This study evaluated the role of follow-up blood cultures (FUBC) positivity in predicting outcomes among patients with neutropenia and carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bloodstream infections (CRGNBSI). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study conducted between December 2017 and April 2022 included patients more than 15 years old with neutropenia and CRGNBSI, who survived for ≥ 48 h, receiving appropriate antibiotic therapy and had FUBCs. Patients with polymicrobial bacteremia within 30 days were excluded. The primary outcome was 30 day mortality. Persistent bacteremia, septic shock, recovery from neutropenia, prolonged or profound neutropenia, requirement of intensive care and dialysis, and initiation of appropriate empirical therapy were also studied. RESULTS: In our study cohort of 155 patients, the 30 day mortality rate was 47.7%. Persistent bacteremia was common in our patient cohort (43.8%). Carbapenem resistant isolates identified in the study were K.pneumoniae (80%), E.coli (12.26%), P.aeruginosa (5.16%), A.baumanii (1.94%) and E.cloacae (0.65%). The median time for sending a FUBC was 2 days (IQR, 1-3 days). Patients with persistent bacteremia had higher mortality than those without (56.76% versus 32.1%; p < 0.001). Appropriate initial empirical therapy was given to 70.9%. Recovery from neutropenia occurred in 57.4% while 25.8% had prolonged or profound neutropenia. Sixty-nine percent (107/155) had septic shock and needed intensive care; 12.2% of patients required dialysis. Non-recovery from neutropenia (aHR, 4.28; 95% CI 2.53-7.23), presence of septic shock (aHR, 4.42; 95%CI 1.47-13.28), requirement of intensive care (aHR,3.12;95%CI 1.23-7.93), and persistent bacteremia (aHR,1.74; 95%CI 1.05-2.89) significantly predicted poor outcomes in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: FUBC showing persistent bacteremia predicted poor outcomes among neutropenic patients with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bloodstream infections (CRGNBSI) and should be routinely reported.

Impact of donor telomere length on survival in patients undergoing matched sibling donor transplantation for aplastic anaemia.

Although telomere shortening is seen frequently in patients with aplastic anaemia (AA), there are no data on its association in matched sibling donor (MSD) transplants. We evaluated the effect of pre-transplant telomere length of patients and donors, measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 163 recipients undergoing MSD transplants. The median age of patients and donors was 24 and 26 years, respectively. Fludarabine and cyclophosphamide was the main conditioning regimen used and all received peripheral blood stem cell grafts. Engraftment occurred in 89% with graft failure (primary and secondary) in 6%. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 28% and 24%, respectively. At a median follow-up of 37 months, 117 patients (72%) were alive. All patients and donors were divided into short and long telomere length based on their median and quartile values. Patient telomere length was not associated with severity of AA, neutrophil recovery, graft failure, acute GVHD or chronic GVHD. Longer donor telomere length was associated with better overall survival [hazard ratio (HR) = 0·2, P = 0·006] but did not influence neutrophil recovery, graft failure, acute or chronic GVHD. The five-year overall survival was significantly better (94·9 ± 3·5% vs 65·4 ± 4·3%, P = 0·002) for donors with long (highest quartile, DTL-HQ) versus short (lower three quartiles, DTL-LQ) telomeres, respectively. On multivariate analysis, longer donor telomere length, recipient age and acute GVHD continued to remain significant. This is the first study demonstrating an association of donor telomere length on overall survival following MSD transplant for AA but it needs to be confirmed in larger studies.

Age-stratified adeno-associated virus serotype 3 neutralizing and total antibody prevalence in hemophilia A patients from India.

Gene therapy using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector offers a new treatment option for individuals with monogenetic disorders. The major bottleneck is the presence of pre-existing anti-AAV antibodies, which impacts its use. Even very low titers of neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to capsids from natural AAV infections have been reported to inhibit the transduction of intravenously administered AAV in animal models and are associated with limited efficacy in human trials. Assessing the level of pre-existing NAb is important for determining the primary eligibility of patients for AAV vector-based gene therapy clinical trials. Techniques used to screen AAV-antibodies include AAV capsid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and transduction inhibition assay (TIA) for detecting total capsid-binding (TAb) and Nab, respectively. In this study, we screened 521 individuals with hemophilia A from India for TAb and NAb using ELISA and TIA, respectively. The prevalence of TAb and NAb in hemophilia A patients from India were 96% and 77.5%, respectively. There was a significant increase in anti-AAV3 NAb prevalence with age in the hemophilia A patient group from India. There was a trend in anti-AAV3 TAb positivity between the pediatric age group (94.4%) and the adult age group (97.4%).

Molecular characterization of triple-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms by next-generation sequencing.

The role of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in identifying mutations in the driver, epigenetic regulator, RNA splicing, and signaling pathway genes in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) has contributed substantially to our understanding of the disease pathogenesis as well as disease evolution. NGS aids in determining the clonal nature of the disease in a subset of these disorders where mutations in the driver genes are not detected. There is a paucity of real-world data on the utility of this test in the characterization of triple-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (TN-MPN). In this study, 46 samples of TN-MPN (essential thrombocythemia (ET) = 17; primary myelofibrosis (PMF) = 23; & myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassified (MPN-u) = 6) were screened for markers of clonality using targeted NGS. Among these, 25 (54.3%) patients had mutations that would help determine the clonal nature of the disease. Eight of the 17 TN-ET (47%) and 13 of the 23 TN-PMF (56.5%) patients had noncanonical mutations in the driver genes and mutations in the genes involved in epigenetic regulation. Identification of mutations categorized as high molecular markers (HMR) in 2 patients helped classify them as PMF with high risk according to the MIPSS 70 scoring system. A novel mutation in the MPIG6B (C6orf25) gene associated with childhood myelofibrosis was detected in a 14-year-old girl. The presence of clonal hematopoiesis could be confirmed in four of the six MPN-u patients in this cohort. This study demonstrates the utility of NGS in improving the characterization of TN-MPN by establishing clonality and detecting noncanonical mutations in driver genes, thereby aiding in clinical decision-making.

Management of relapse in acute promyelocytic leukaemia treated with up-front arsenic trioxide-based regimens.

The standard of care for patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) relapsing after front-line treatment with arsenic trioxide (ATO)-based regimens remains to be defined. A total of 67 patients who relapsed after receiving ATO-based up-front therapy and were also salvaged using an ATO-based regimen were evaluated. The median (range) age of patients was 28 (4-54) years. While 63/67 (94%) achieved a second molecular remission (MR) after salvage therapy, three (4·5%) died during salvage therapy. An autologous stem cell transplant (auto-SCT) was offered to all patients who achieved MR, 35/63 (55·6%) opted for auto-SCT the rest were administered an ATO + all-trans retinoic acid maintenance regimen. The mean (SD) 5-year Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival and event-free survival of those who received auto-SCT versus those who did not was 90·3 (5·3)% versus 58·6 (10·4)% (P = 0·004), and 87·1 (6·0)% versus 47·7 (10·3)% (P = 0·001) respectively. On multivariate analysis, failure to consolidate MR with an auto-SCT was associated with a significantly increased risk of relapse [hazard ratio (HR) 4·91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·56-15·41; P = 0·006]. MR induction with ATO-based regimens followed by an auto-SCT in children and young adults with relapsed APL who were treated with front-line ATO-based regimens was associated with excellent long-term survival.

Safety of peripheral blood stem cell harvest in children under anaesthesia in the day care setting - A single centre experience.

The use of cytokine mobilized peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) for stem cell transplantation offers early engraftment, and less early transplant related mortality and morbidity. This can be done easily in the out-patient setting in an adult donor, but is difficult in children. The safety and efficacy of general anaesthesia outside the controlled operation room setting is quite challenging and demanding. We present our experience with paediatric PBSC harvest done under anaesthesia in the out-patient setting between January 2009 to June 2017. A total of 158 children underwent 164 PBSC harvests during the study period. Donors were predominantly females with a median age of 5 years (1-12) and a median weight of 17.5 kg (9.4-51). In 50% of the cases, induction of anaesthesia was by sevoflurane followed by total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) while in 32% it was sevoflurane induction followed by sedation. Hudson mask (48.5%) and laryngeal mask airway (50%) were the most common modes of airway and all patients were ventilated in the spontaneous mode. Propofol was the most commonly used maintenance agent (67%). There were no major complications except for acute pulmonary edema secondary to infusion of blood products requiring a short stay in ICU for one donor. All donors were discharged on the next day of harvest. No long term complications have been reported in any of these donors. Paediatric PBSC harvest can be safely done under anaesthesia with due precautions in the day care setting.

Impact of imaging modality on clinical outcome in Hodgkin lymphoma in a resource constraint setting.

Treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has evolved with risk-stratified therapy based on PET-CT scan at multiple timepoints. In a resource constraint setting even a single PET-CT scan ($400) is inaccessible to many patients, who are re-assessed with only clinical examination, abdominal ultrasonogram and/or x-ray (C/U/X) ($10). To compare clinical outcomes in patients with HL who have had suboptimal imaging after completion of chemotherapy for HL, with those who had a CT or PET-CT, 283 patients were treated for HL from 2011 to 2015, and 268 patients completed six cycles of ABVD therapy with response assessment modality by CT/PET in 185 patients and by C/U/X in 83. There was no difference in the number of patients with advanced (64·1% vs. 61·1%; P = 0·650) or bulk disease (8·1% vs. 7·2%). A significantly higher number of patients in the CT/PET group received IFRT (25·4% vs. 7·7%; P = 0·0005). The three-year overall survival and progression-free survival of all treated patients (n = 283) was 83·5 ± 2·3% and 76·7 ± 2·6% respectively [median follow-up 36 months (range 2-93)]. At three years, the overall relapse-free survival (RFS) was 80·1 ± 2·5%, with RFS of 77 ± 3·2% vs. 85 ± 4·0% in the CT/PET group and C/U/X groups respectively (P = 0·349). There was no difference in RFS between the two groups either in early-stage disease (88·1 ± 4·6% vs. 91·8 ± 5·6%; P = 0·671) or late-stage disease (73·9 ± 4·8% vs. 81·3 ± 6·0%; P = 0·747). The only significant factor adversely affecting RFS was advanced disease (P = 0·004). Factors not affecting RFS were age (P = 0·763), sex (P = 0·925), bulk disease (P = 0·889) and imaging modality (P = 0·352). There was no difference in relapse rates between patients who had suboptimal imaging compared to those who had a PET/CT. It is possible to use these basic imaging modalities when resources are a constraint, with acceptable outcomes.

Resource utilization and cost effectiveness of treating acute promyelocytic leukaemia using generic arsenic trioxide.

Arsenic trioxide (ATO)-based regimens are the standard of care for treating acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) and have replaced chemotherapy-based approaches. However, the cost of "patented" ATO is prohibitive because of patent rights. "Generic" ATO has been used in a few countries, but its implications for health resource utilization (HRU) and cost of treatment are unknown. We hypothesized that treating APL patients using generic ATO (APL-ATO) will be cost effective compared to the chemotherapy-based regimen (APL-CT). In a single-centre retrospective study, we used a bottom-up costing method to compare the direct medical cost of treatment and HRU between APL-ATO and APL-CT. These costs and the survival and relapse probabilities were imputed in a three-state Markov decision model to estimate the cost effectiveness of APL-ATO compared to APL-CT. The mean cost of treatment for APL-ATO (n = 30, $8500 ± 2078) was significantly less than for APL-CT (n = 30, $22 600 ± 5528) (P < 0·001). APL-ATO reduced hospitalization, antibiotic and antifungal usage (P < 0·001). In the Markov model, five-year treatment costs were significantly lower for APL-ATO ($11 131) than for APL-CT ($17 926) (P < 0·001). Treatment cost and health resource utilization were significantly lower for generic ATO-treated APL patients compared to the chemotherapy-based regimen.

Drug-resistant organisms are common in fecal surveillance cultures, predict bacteremia and correlate with poorer outcomes in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplants.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms and high mortality rates associated with these infections, we describe the spectrum of the major drug-resistant pathogens identified in fecal surveillance, and re-visit the use of fecal surveillance in predicting infection with these organisms post-allogeneic stem cell transplant. METHODS: Data from allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients with common drug-resistant strains of bacteria in fecal surveillance (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., and Enterococcus spp.) were compared with recipients who did not have the same in fecal surveillance cultures. Baseline characteristics and post-transplant outcomes including similar drug resistance in blood cultures, severe sepsis, and 100-day transplant-related mortality were compared. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictors of outcome. RESULTS: In 232 transplants, the prevalence of common drug-resistant isolates in fecal surveillance cultures was 57.7% (134 out of 232 patients-with a single isolate in 115 and ≥2 isolates in the remaining 19 patients. A total of 164 drug-resistant isolates were obtained from 134 patients. Of the 164 isolates, 133 (81%) were positive for ESBL screening, 19 (11.5%) for carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) screening, 12 (7.3%) for VRE screening. Patients who had common drug-resistant pathogens detected in fecal surveillance have significantly higher subsequent blood culture positivity with drug resistance, as well as higher 100-day mortality. Factors influencing 100-day mortality included patient's age (P = .001), drug resistance positivity in blood (P < .001), drug resistance in fecal surveillance (P = .011), use of an alternate donor (other than fully matched sibling) (P < .001), GVHD grade 3-4 (P < .001), and severe sepsis (P < .001). On multivariate analysis, only use of an alternate donor (0.024), severe sepsis (P < .001), and grade 3-4 GVHD (P < .001) retained significance in predicting 100-day mortality. CONCLUSION: Organisms resistant to 3rd generation cephalosporins are frequently seen on fecal surveillance in the pre-transplant setting and are associated with a higher incidence of drug-resistant organisms in subsequent blood cultures (not limited to the same drug resistance pattern as seen in fecal surveillance). Drug-resistant organisms in fecal surveillance are associated with poorer outcomes following allogeneic stem cell transplant and may be used as a guide to identify patients at risk of subsequently developing a drug-resistant organism in blood.

Prevalence of FVIII inhibitors in severe haemophilia A patients: Effect of treatment and genetic factors in an Indian population.

INTRODUCTION: Factor replacement therapy in treatment of haemophilia A is complicated by the production of neutralising antibodies known as inhibitors. The formation of inhibitors is multifactorial being associated with both genetic and environmental factors. AIM: To document the prevalence of inhibitors in severe haemophilia in the community where most patients receive only infrequent episodic replacement therapy and evaluate the factors which could be contributing to it. METHODS: Community based camps were conducted in different parts of the country. Patients were assessed through a structured questionnaire and blood samples were obtained for laboratory evaluation of inhibitors and defined immunological parameters. RESULTS: Inhibitors were present in 87/447 (19.5%) of the evaluated patients. High-titre inhibitor (>5 Bethesda Units [BU]) was identified in 31 (35.6%) patients. HLA DRB1-13-positive cases (RR = 2.04; 95% CI 1.06-3.911; P = 0.033) had an increased risk of inhibitor formation which was retained in the high-titre subset. A decreased risk of inhibitor formation was noted with heterozygous IL4-590 C/T allele (RR = 0.22; 95% CI 0.108-0.442: P = 0.000). There were no significant correlations between any of the evaluated environmental factors and the development of inhibitors in this study. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of inhibitors in patients with severe haemophilia A is similar to that reported among patients receiving regular replacement therapy. The data from this study, limited by its retrospective and cross-sectional study design, would suggest that genetic rather than environmental are more likely to impact the development of inhibitors.